Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give us your advice. What should we do?”

Fear the sword yourselves, for wrath brings the punishment by the sword, so that you may know that there is judgment.”

If only you will respond to my rebuke, then I will pour out my thoughts to you and I will make my words known to you.

Stop trusting in human beings, whose life’s breath is in their nostrils. For why should they be given special consideration?

Why do you crush my people and grind the faces of the poor?” The sovereign Lord who commands armies has spoken.

O my downtrodden people, crushed like stalks on the threshing floor, what I have heard from the Lord who commands armies, the God of Israel, I have reported to you.

Is this really your boisterous city whose origins are in the distant past, and whose feet led her to a distant land to reside?

But Pharaoh’s protection will bring you nothing but shame, and the safety of Egypt’s protective shade nothing but humiliation.

This is what the king says: ‘Don’t let Hezekiah mislead you, for he is not able to rescue you!

Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told to you since the very beginning? Have you not understood from the time the earth’s foundations were made?

“‘But just look at you! You are putting your confidence in a false belief that will not deliver you.

So, now the Lord says, ‘You have not listened to me. But you have made me angry by the things that you have done. Thus you have brought harm on yourselves.’

They are prophesying lies to you and claiming my authority to do so. But I did not send them. I, the Lord, affirm it!’

I will have compassion on you so that he in turn will have mercy on you and allow you to return to your land.’

This day I have told you what he said. But you do not want to obey the Lord by doing what he sent me to tell you.

Then you will live in the land I gave to your fathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God.

You will eat fat until you are full, and drink blood until you are drunk, at my slaughter which I have made for you.

You have not kept charge of my holy things, but you have assigned foreigners to keep charge of my sanctuary for you.

You will pick up your images of Sikkuth, your king, and Kiyyun, your star god, which you made for yourselves,

“Is it right for you to live in richly paneled houses while my temple is in ruins?